The Corner Of Your Eye
by Ogirl15
Summary: When cuddy meets Jake Stanley, she thinks he's perfect for her. but what happens when house gets drunk and admits his love for her? and what if she loves him too, even though she wishes she didnt? HUDDY, house\wilson friendship. RATED M NOW, FOR SMUT!.
1. A really crappy party

This story set during season 6, but without a few details such as Lucas and Rachel.  
this is my first house fic, hopefully it will be a long one (:  
read&review, pleeease!

I DO NOT OWN HOUSE. Is I was, I wouldn't be wasting my time writing here. Just kidding[:

**Chapter 1 – a really crappy party.**

House made his way through the crowded lobby , spotting Wilson who was sitting at the improvised bar at the far end of the room.  
he passed a few people who were just standing and talking, trying to overcome the loud sound of a crappy 70s song. Some of them were a little drunk, some of them already half passed out.  
the chairs in the hospital lobby were moved, and instead there were a few tables scattered across the room, and some wooden scary-looking structure who was supposed to be a stage. The walls were covered in what seems like leftovers of decorations from a six years old's birthday party, and two bored waiters were walking around, serving food that no one wanted to eat.

there were no donors today, so no one even bothered to pretend.  
without the important, rich people to act nice for, it was just another crappy party of a few pathetic people who had nothing better to do on Christmas eve.

"hey, you showed up," Wilson said with a half smile as house sat next to him on the bar, ordering the middle-aged bartender to pour him a cup of bourbon.  
"and you're wearing a gay shirt, thanks for stating the obvious." House declared in a bitter tone, taking a sip of his drink. "I only came for the free booz and to watch drunk people do stupid things." He clarified.

"wow, you seem even more gloomy than usual." Wilson said teasingly, his eyes scanning the light purple shirt he was wearing. His ex-wife picked it, she said it matched the shade of his skin.

"house, is everything okay?" Wilson asked after a few minutes of quiet drinking. The quiet was a little untypical for house in these kinds of parties, and he did deem like something was bothering him.  
but house wasn't even listening. His eyes were focused on a certain spot in the room, and on his face was the look of mixed feelings that Wilson automatically connected with cuddy by now.  
Wilson sighed and followed his stare, unsurprisingly locating cuddy standing on the other side of the room.

She was wearing a dark blue low-cut dress, that emphasized her breasts and hugged her curves. Her hair was curly and falling down on her shoulders, and her mouth was shaped in the form of a seducing smile.  
however, it was not the stunning woman that caught his attention, it was the man standing beside her with a hand around her waist.  
he was tall and tan, His short blond hair well organized in a way that wouldn't let any lock of hair be out of place, and His cocky smile revealing two rows of perfect white teeth.  
he looked, Wilson thought bitterly, like a slightly older version of one of those shiny Hollywood stars.

"how much do you think she is paying him?" house joked, his eyes still fixed on the happy-looking couple.

Wilson looked at him worriedly, searching for any sign implying he might do something stupid. "well, its probably a few grands just to make him get out of the toothbrush commercial. Then there's the flight from wonderland…"

"just shut up Wilson."

Wilson kept his eyes on house, as house kept his eyes on cuddy's date. "you'll be ok?"

"yeh," house tried to sound casual. "why wouldn't I be? We're not together or something. We never were."

house gulped down the rest of his drink in one sip, and immediately asked the bartender for another one.

_Damn. This is going to be a long night.  
_  
***************

Two hours and a lot more bourbon shots later, house and Wilson were still sitting at the bar.  
they were joined now by chase, who was sitting on house's left side, and thirteen on Wilson's right.

"aahhhm.. chase! You're turn!" house said excitingly, finishing another drink.

"mmmmkay. Truth"

"kay…. Which one of the men in this room, would you do?"

chase answered immediately, as if that was the obvious answer. "hmph, that's easy, cuddy's boyfriend."

house frowned. "well… I guess he's kinda hot, If youre into hair cream and, amm, plastic surgeries and .. what were we talking about?"

thirteen cracked up laughing. "god, house. You're wasted."

"nooo, im not_. You're_ wasted!" house giggled at his sophisticated comeback.

"Wilson! Truth or dare?" chase shouted suddenly.

"ahh.. what?" Wilson looked away from the counter, on which he was trying to build a house from sugar cubes.

"truth or dare, jimmy! You have to pay attentionnn!" house complained.

"ohh, okay. I chooooose… dare!"

"I dare you to... kiss thirteen."

"noo way!" thirteen chuckled.

"but it's a dare, You have to!" house, once again, tried to logically explain the rules.

Wilson turned to thirteen, lowered himself to her level and gave a soft and short pack on the lips.

"here, happy now?"

"nooo!," chase whined, "that sucked."

"yeh, jimmy" house agreed, "you lose your turn."

Wilson defended himself immediately. "what?! That's sooo unfair! I did your stupid dare!"

"sorry, jimmy. That's the rules.." he shrugged apologetically. "thirteen, You're up!"

"yay! House,truth or dare?"

"dare!"

thirteen thought about it deeply for a moment. "you need to get up on that stage and sing a song!"

"what?! I can't sing a song!" house protested.

"what happened, you've got stage fear?" she mocked him.

"yep, house. These are the rules!" Wilson smiled wickedly, banging his fist on the table and spilling his own drink.

"fine, I'll get up there. This party suuucks anyway." House took the challenge, and got up from his sit.

three pairs of eyes watched as house took a few unbalanced steps toward the wooden stage. He climbed up and whispered something to the piano player who was seated at the middle of the stage. The pianist seemed almost grateful as he got up and allowed house to take his seat.

"okay, people. I'm here to save the party!"

a few drunk people, including the little group on the bar, cheered excitingly.  
cuddy, on the other hand, was a little less happy about the entire thing.

"HOUSE! GET OFF THE STAGE YOU IDIOT!" She quickly left her place beside the toothbrush-commercial-man, and made her way to the stage.

But house wasn't concerned about her. "wooww, cuddy. Chill out! I'm just singing one song" he pulled up one finger as an illustration, while giving her his best puppy-face look.  
somehow, the look – or was it the alcohol? – softened cuddy a bit. She stopped yelling and stood right in front of the stage.

"okayy, this song Is for thirteen, and jimmy, and the aussie over there." The three of them cheered wildly.  
house started playing the first note, and then, as if remembering something, he stopped.

"oh, I forgot something reealy important." House smiled at the waiting crowd. "this song is dedicated to her!" house pointed, to everyone beside wilson's surprise, at cuddy. "cuddy, this song is for you, because I reealy like you." He chuckled a bit, enjoying everyone's full attention. "hell, I've been madly in love with you for 21 years and two month, but who's counting.."

cuddy, and pretty much everyone else, stared at him shocked. the toothbrush guy seemed like he was about to burst with anger. Wilson just sat quietly and shook his head.

_God, house. What the hell do you think you're doing?_

as house started screaming some old Elvis song into the mic, he didn't notice cuddy leaving the room, followed be her blond boyfriend.


	2. Intervention

You know when you do something stupid, and then you wake up in the morning and have to deal with it? Well, ITS MOTNING TIME!

I do not own house, for some unknown reason.

**chapter 2 - intervention**  
  
"Don't. say. A thing." House blurred in a toxic voice as he limped into the conference room the next morning.

he scanned his team quickly on his way to the coffee machine. Everyone seemed as bad as he felt – deep circles beneath their eyes, messy hair, and in a huge need for aspirin.

It was Christmas morning, for crying out loud. Right now, he was supposed to be sleeping, or having a 'gray's anatomy' marathon at home. Instead, he was stuck here because some idiot was bleeding from his rectum or whatever. It was so unfair.

And only the thought of having to see _her_ made him sick. God, why did he have to do something that stupid? Why couldn't he just stay home, and pass out drunk on his own damn couch?  
"there is no us," her words from a few months ago filled his mind, "there never will be."  
he had his chance with her. Hell, he had dozens of chances with her. And he fucked it all up like he always do.

somehow, he learned to leave with the fact he could never be with the only one he really wanted, And most of the days, he was okay with it.  
it didn't hurt as much, seeing her every day, flirt and argue with her and knowing she belonged to someone else. He could almost call her, in some twisted way, his friend.  
and now he had to go and do something stupid like that. Now she knows everything. everybody knows. _Idiot_.

As he poured himself a second cup of coffee, he noticed the amused looks on his team's faces.

"if anybody mentions last night, he's fired. Now stop staring at me like that and start suggesting ideas!"

the team immediately looked away and started a differential, but house was only half listening, his mind racing with what the hell was he going to do.

*********

Wilson was having a bad morning.  
he woke up early to the sound of his pager going off. His patient was crushing, great.  
He got dressed and rushed to the hospital only to find out that he was too late, and that someone has to tell the family.  
and to top it all, he had tons of paperwork waiting on his desk and a bad hangover.  
marry Christmas.

It was a late morning hour when he stumbled into the empty conference room next to house's office, desperate for coffee.

"_you_!" he jumped to the sound of an angry scream, stopping halfway into the room.

"god, house. You scared me." Wilson rolled his eyes and started boiling the water. House crossed the room and leaned on the counter next to him.

"oh, I'm so sorry I scared you, my so-called 'best friend'." He said sarcastically, staring at Wilson angrily.

Wilson chuckled once. "come on, house.. you can't possibly blame me for what you did last night."

"watch me."

"you got drunk, you said what you said. Now you have to deal with the c.."

"I will not deal with the freaking consequences!" by this point, house knew he was taking all of his anger out on Wilson, but he didn't care. He needed so badly someone to blame.

"you are my _friend_. And friends don't let friends get drunk and declare their love to random people!"

"cuddy is not a 'random people' and you know it! Now, you can keep standing here and blame me for your own stupidity, or you can stop running from your own problems and go down to her office!" Wilson turned around and left house alone in the room. Even the best cup of coffee in the world wasn't worth this.

Now alone in the conference room, house sighed and turned to the white board to do the only thing he knew how to do right – diagnose.

**************

Cuddy was sitting alone in her office, hundreds of untouched papers lying on the desk in front of her.  
concentrating on work seemed to get harder and harder as her mind was becoming preoccupied with last night's party.  
_"..cuddy, this song is for you, because I reealy like you. hell, I've been madly in love with you for 21 years and two month…."_

house and her always had something connecting between them, like handcuffs that prevented her from leaving him for all of those years.  
But did she…_ love_ him?  
no. she can't. Not when things are going so well with Jake.. she sighed.

Jake was perfect for her. he was nice, sensitive, understanding, he wanted to have kids..  
he was everything she ever wanted, with him she could have the life she dreamt of.  
House was the complete opposite. He was unexpected, dangerous, sarcastic, and a jerk.

It was like high school all over again.  
Jake Stanley was the hot, popular and promising quarterback all the girls wanted,  
and Gregory House was the sexy, rebellious bad-boy her parents would never approve of.  
house was definitely wrong for her.  
so why is he the only thing she can think about?  
why is her heart racing with excitement every time she remembers last night?

She slammed her head down, and groaned as it hit the desk with a loud thud.  
she just had to think about something, _anything_ else until the end of her work day.  
then, when she's finally alone, she will think this through.

"cuddy?" she lifted her head, and found Wilson staring at her worriedly.

cuddy cleared her throat and tried to sound professional. "yes, dr. Wilson?"

"do you have a second?"  
she really didn't feel like dealing with him right now, she just wanted to be alone.

"er, actually.. im kind of busy…" it wasn't a lie. She _did _have a lot of work to do.

but she didn't fool him. "are you ok?" he asked suspiciously, his eyes scanning her face trying – and failing – to find any kind of emotion.

"yes, Wilson. Im great, thanks for the concern." She smiled at him, trying to make her voice sound casual. God, if he'll keep bugging her she will have no choice but kick him out.

"I just wanted to say, about last night…" Wilson started, only to be interrupted by cuddy, who was getting annoyed by the second.

"oh, c'mon Wilson. Its not your job to apologize for him."

"right. Just wanted to say, that I know you must be freaking out or nervous or whatever. and I don't blame you.. its house, you guys have a history together and…"

"me and house have _no _history, Wilson. Now, I have a lot of things to do and id really appreciate it if you'd, well…." God, she really liked him, but sometimes he was worse than her mother.

"fine, I get the clue. I'm outta here. Just remember that even though he was _really _drunk, he was being honest. And maybe you two can work it out, somehow.. because you can't deny that there has always something between you two."

Cuddy was trying to ignore him by this point. She was typing on her computer, working really hard on tuning him out.  
after a few seconds with no response, Wilson raised his hands if defeat and walked out of the office.

_She is just as stubborn as he is. This is not going to be easy_. Wilson sighed to himself on his way to his car.

-

**Next chapter? A little less Wilson playing matchmaker, a little more huddy. Yep, im talking about the first huddy confrontation! So keep reading (:**


	3. A decision

Thanks for the reviews guys, it means a lot!  
here's the next chapter, enjoy(:

-I don't own house-

**Chapter 3 – A decision.**

Cuddy finally let herself relax as she gotten into her car ant started driving home.  
she wanted so badly to just be alone, in her own home, in her own warm bed.  
because of house's new patient, she didn't get the chance to see him all day, and she was a little relived. She wanted to get things straight in her head before she could talk to him.

She slowly pulled into her driveway, and her heart skipped a bit when she saw the lights on inside her kitchen.  
the only person who had a key to her house was..  
oh, of course Jake is here. She _told _him to be here. How could she forget?

She let out a sob of desperation, then unlocked the door and walked inside.

Jake Stanley was standing there, of course, wearing a kitchen apron and holding a spoon.  
"hey, babe. I cooked up dinner."

"oh, hi Jake. I.." she said unenthusiastically .  
she had to admit, he looked pretty damn hot in this apron, but she just couldn't deal with him right now.

"Lisa, are you okay?" he asked worriedly, the proud smile leaving his face.

"yeh, I just don't feel so well, I think I would go to bed early. Any chance we could put this off for a few days?" she felt guilty about ruining his efforts, but she had other things to do now.

Jake came closer to her, checking her fever and her pupils with the extended medical knowledge of a dentist.  
"no problem, honey. I'm that good a cook anyway."

He smiled an understanding smile, and she felt another wave of guilt rushed through her.  
he was way too good for her.

*****************

House opened the door to his and Wilson's empty loft, and crushed on the couch.

Wilson was on call tonight, some cancer kid dying or something. tonight, of all nights, he wished he wouldn't have to be alone. When he was alone he actually had to deal with his thought, And he didn't really feel like thinking tonight.

Yet, he couldn't help it.

He avoided cuddy all day. Maybe at some level, he thought that if he'll never see her again it means last night never happens.  
but last night did happen. And now he was screwed.

The things he said to her.. he surprised even himself.  
of course he knew he felt something for her, he wasn't that oblivious, but he always convinced himself it was just physical attraction, or a little harmless crush.  
finally admitting it to himself actually felt pretty good. He just wished it didn't have to happen that way.

He knew he'd have to talk to her sometime, but right now he just wished the talking part would be over with and they'd be back to normal.  
well, as normal as one-sided love could ever be.

House ignored the stabbing feeling in his chest as he let his head fall on the cushions and his mind wonder off.

******************

Finally alone in her bed, cuddy covered her head in the pillow and started screaming into the fabric, letting all the frustration, the confusion and the guilt out.

House telling her he loved her really took away all of her strength, and left her empty and drained. She hadn't even saw him in 24 hours, yet somehow he managed to ruin her day. The thought made her giggle into her soft pillow.

It was _house_, for god's sake. The same house who with she tried to have a relationship so many times, and somehow was always left with a broken heart.  
the house who pissed her off daily. The crazy, untrainable geniuses. It's just who he is, and he could never change.

And Jake was there, and he was charming and cute and comfortable and he deserved the same chance she gave house a million times.

She wanted to cry when she realized she could never have a relationship with house.  
But the least she owed him was an explanation. An explanation she was supposed to give 24 hours ago, and couldn't wait any other second.

She got out of bed, and while still wearing her nightie she got into her car and stated driving the open, dark roads.

* * *

The loud knock on the door made house wake up in an instant and jump to a sitting position on the couch.

"use your key!" house shouted, annoyed.  
it was only a second later when he realized that Wilson wouldn't be at home until late at night, and that he wouldn't knock before entering his own house.  
He groaned, got off the couch and started limping sleepily toward the door.

"what do you w… oh." His heart jumped as he threw the door open and spotted Lisa cuddy standing at his doorstep.

For one minute, he was speechless. _  
she _was standing at his door, looking so vulnerable and breathtakingly beautiful in her little white nightie, Her hair falling down on her shoulders and her face make-up free. She was stunning.

He felt the bulge in his pants grow just from looking at her, and he had to use all of his self control to keep himself from jumping on her right then and there.

"hi, house. I'm sorry I woke you, I know it's late but can we.. ahhm.. talk?"

House chuckled, still trying to keep his eyes on her face instead of on her perky breasts, who were too visible through the nightie. "wow, Cuddy. Didn't really think of you as the type of woman who knocks on doors in the middle of the night to 'talk'."

"oh stop whining old man, its barely nine thirty." She flushed one of her unique dazzling smiles and got into the loft.

House closed the door after her and smiled to himself. He could definitely get used to it, get used to _her.  
_but when he crossed the room and saw her sitting patiently on the couch, the smile disappeared immediately.

She no longer had a teasing smile on her face, She just looked apologetic and guilty.  
house sighed in pain. Of course she didn't want him, it was stupid to hope for something like that. it was stupid to think that she'd stay any longer then she'd have to.

"just say it," he breathed. "say how much you like me, and how much you're flattered, but you think you deserve someone better than me. Just get it over with."

"house, I would never.." cuddy stared at him miserably. She knew she was doing the right thing, so why was it so hard?

"just quit it cuddy. You don't have to do it just to clear your conscience. I know I'm just another pathetic guy who is desperately in love with you. I bet you get that all the time."  
house's eyes were red now as all the feelings he spent his life trying to suppress spread in his entire body.

Cuddy just set there quietly, feeling helpless as the ever cold and sarcastic man reviled himself to her. "house, I'm so sorry.." she whispered.

House swallowed quietly, trying to keep himself together.  
"it's okay. I learned to deal with it. I mean, of course It hurt at first, seeing you every day at the hospital with your low cut shirts and your beautiful smile and the flame in your eyes when you were pissed at me, but…"

He couldn't finish that sentence, because cuddy's lips got in the way.  
house stood there, stunned, as she placed her hands upon his chest and roughly crushed her lips to his.

_________

**Rating just changed to M ,for a very hot HUDDY SEX the next chapter!  
so keep reading and please review! 3**


	4. conflicted messages

Hi guys,  
about the grammar – I'm sorry about the mistakes. I'm pretty good at English (well, relatively..) but it's still not my first language. So a little mercy here(:  
anyways, if you find a grammar\spelling\typing mistake, feel free to tell me so I can fix it.

I'm not so sure about this chapter, so tell me what you think..  
I do not own house, etc… well, enjoy:

**Chapter 4 – conflicted messages. **

house stood there, stunned, as she placed her hands upon his chest and roughly crushed her lips to his.

It only took him about half a second to recover.  
he returned her passionate kiss with all the force he had, moaning as she gently bit his lower lip. He pushed her against the closest wall, slipping his tongue into her mouth urgently and grabbing her ass.

cuddy started rubbing her pelvis against his shaft, smiling when she heard him groan in delight.  
house pulled her nightie over her head and unhooked the demi-cup bra, erasing her seductive smile as he lowered his mouth to her full breasts, licking and nibbling her nipples with his tongue.

"oh, god!" cuddy gasped in surprise when she felt him gently biting one of her nipples, her panties getting wetter with every touch.

She ripped his shirt off urgently, placing small kisses on his chest as her fingers reached to the front of his jeans, pushing the fabric out of the way and starting to rub his penis with her skilled hand.

"holy shit.." he took a shallow breath, becoming addicted to the incredible feeling of her hand on his shaft.

His fingers were on her panties now, rubbing her sex over the thin fabric.

"damn, you're so wet" He whispered into her ear. cuddy whimpered at response, and he felt himself becoming even harder at the sound.

She cried out in passion when house inserted two fingers inside of her, her head falling back against the wall and her hands holding onto his shoulders for dear life as he started to fuck her with his fingers, causing her to moan and shudder breathlessly.

With the amazing sensation of his fingers moving inside of her and his thumb rubbing circles on her clit, It wasn't much later when she felt she couldn't take this anymore.

"house." She whispered into his chest, letting him know she needed him inside of her. Now.  
house quickly took off her panties, sat down on the couch and pulled her on top of him.

"fuck, you're so hot" he mumbled in a hoarse voice, cupping her left breast and leaving trail of kisses on her neck.

Cuddy slowly lowered herself onto him, letting him fill her with his entire length.  
they both moaned in pleaser as their bodies finally became one.

"fuck, yeh.." house hissed when she started sliding up and down, finding a fast rhythm and riding on him wildly.

She was fucking him fast and hard, her delicious breaths jumping and her lips making sexy little sounds of passion.

"oh, house, yes!" cuddy screamed when he grabbed her hips and started moving his pelvis up to meet hers.  
they were both so close now, their bodies shaking and out of control.

"oh my god! Yes! Just like that!" house felt her trembling, and he reached for her clit as she rode her orgasm.

As he felt her inner walls tightening around him, he was getting really close to his own peak.

"god, cuddy! Fuck, don't stop!" he started thrusting harder inside of her, catching her mouth with his and moaning passionately into her mouth as he came inside of her, the feeling spreading in his entire body.

A moment later, they fell breathlessly onto each other, trying to slow their beating hearts.  
house just enjoyed the feeling of holding her close and burring his nose in her hair. It felt _right_.

"so," house started a few minutes later, with a small smile upon his face. "when are you breaking up with the jackass?"

Cuddy jumped immediately, panic crossing her face. "oh my god, Jake!"  
she started gathering her clothes from the floor and putting them on as quickly as she could, not looking toward him once.

She grabbed her keys and headed to the door, shooting him one last look before she went out. "I'm so sorry, house." She whispered with pain in her eyes.

Then she closed the door, leaving a very shocked and confused house frozen on the sofa, staring at the same direction she was standing a moment ago.

Outside in the car, cuddy whipped a tear from her eye.  
_I'm doing the right thing_, she told herself over and over again as she drove home. So why does it feel so wrong?

Wilson's cell phone kept ringing.  
It was about the millionth time that house's annoying ringtone interrupted his work, and by now he really wanted to throw the damn phone against the wall.

When the phone became quiet for a moment before ringing again, Wilson gave up and unwillingly pressed the 'send' button.

"house, I'm trying to work here! Can't you get along on your own for a few hours?" Wilson grunted into the speaker, his mind still distracted with the papers.

All he heard from the other end of the line was house's quiet breathing, telling him without words that something was wrong.

"house? House!"

He heard house clearing his throat, like he was disconnecting from auto pilot. "oh, hi."

When house didn't continue, Wilson became suspicious. "ahmm.. you wanted something?

But house didn't seem to be listening. "I slept with cuddy, I think."

"what?! You _think_?" Wilson shouted, now completely focused on the conversation.

"no, I mean, I definitely slept with her. Or else id be naked for no reason." House replied with the same weird, unusual tone in his voice.

Wilson smiled and shook his head In amazement. _My god.. all these years of denial, and a few shots of bourbon finally brought them together…_

"I'm really happy for you two," he said sincerely.  
"wait, where is she now? She's not beside you, right?" it was so house-like to spread the word about the two of them while cuddy is still it the room. Idiot..

"no, she left." Here's that tone again. Something's wrong.  
the 'click' in Wilson's head could almost be heard as the situation dawned to him.

"she's not leaving him, does she?" he sighed

"no."

Wilson was already halfway out the room. "put something on you, I'll be there in 15 minutes."

**please review! It only takes a second, and it really makes my day.**

**I'm off to study, Big test tomorrow.. wish me luck[:**


	5. Revelations and Doubts

A few busy days coming up, so I hope I'll be able to publish the next chapter on time.  
Meanwhile, enjoy this one, where things are starting to get even more complicated.

I still don't own house.

**Chapter 5 – revelations and doubts. **

House walked into his office, fighting off a headache he became used to already.  
he didn't have a case, and he knew cuddy won't bother him with clinic right now, which left him lots of free time to do nothing.

That weird, vulnerable feeling from yesterday quickly turned to anger after he drowned it with alcohol, and now all he wanted to do was to punch someone.

Last night he exposed himself to cuddy, in more than one way.  
he made himself vulnerable, he basically begged, and she left anyway. Everyone always does.  
_you idiot,_ he mentally cursed himself.

A few feet away, inside the glass walls of the conference room, four pairs of eyes watched him curiously.

"wow, he looks.. bad." Thirteen said quietly, looking more interested then worried.

"think we should say something?" chase whispered uncertainly, his eyes fixated on the way house leaned his head against his hands, eyes closed.

Foreman shook his head with a small, cocky smile. "I wouldn't want to be the one to interrupt him right now."

"it's probably about cuddy," Taub said uninterestingly, his eyes returning to the newspaper in his hands.

Chase's eyes lit up. "50 bucks says she dumped him!" he replied in excitement.

"I'm in," thirteen declared. "a 100 says they'll be together in two weeks."

Chase smiled and pulled out a pen and a paper._ This is going to be an easy money_.

The clock on Wilson's desk showed 11:34 pm, and Wilson took another sip of coffee as he signed the millionth paper for today and placed it in the growing pile beside him.

He was working non-stop for the past two and a half hours, and he was expecting house to barge in the closed door at any given moment. He was almost hoping he'll come, at least it would give him an excuse to take a break.

The knock on the office door was so quiet and brief, that at first Wilson thought he imagined it.  
"come in!" he yelled when the knock got stronger, a little curious as to who it could be.

The door opened slowly, and she walked into the room with a little uncertainty in her steps.

"oh, hi dr. cuddy." He said formally, his eyes giving her cold and emotionless stare.

"James, can I talk to you for a minute?" cuddy asked carefully, flinching a little from the way he spoke to her.

"agh.. I'm a little busy right now..."

Cuddy completely ignored him. She sat down on the chair in front of the desk and leaned back in frustration.

"how is he?"

Wilson looked at her with fake confusion. "how is who?"

Cuddy kept staring at him knowingly for a few seconds, until he continued.

"well, if you're talking about house, he's great. He's working right now, as both of us should be."

Cuddy sighed in frustration and stood up. "okay Wilson, I get the clue. I just wanted to know if something happened, since he completely ignored me all day.."

She turned to leave, when Wilson stood up in anger and started accusing her for all of the things he kept in his heart since yesterday night.

"oh, Im so sorry. You wanted to know if _something happened_? Well, let's think.. no, nothing. Well accept for the fact he told you he's in love with you, and you completely rejected him. Oh, and there's that thing where you slept with him and then just left?!"

Cuddy was staring at him, wide eyed and mouth slightly open. "what? i.."

Wilson cut her, still in the middle of his outburst. "don't start giving me excuse, You can't just treat him like shit! He is a human being, not your privet little sex toy!"

"James, please listen .." cuddy's eyes were a little wet now, and she stared at him with begging eyes.

Wilson softened a little and sighed, his whole body relaxing.  
"I really like you, cuddy," he started apologetically, "but he's my best friend."

He looked at her as if that sentence explained everything, and then walked out of his own office, leaving her completely alone with tears in her eyes and remorse filling her entire body.

It was lunchtime, and house was sitting in the cafeteria by himself, eating potato chips out of a yellow bag.

He was starting to get a bit bored when he suddenly heard a soft voice coming from behind him.

"I saw you at the Christmas party."

house turned around quickly, finding a woman in her late thirties smiling at him.

"who the hell are you?" house rolled his eyes annoyingly. He really didn't feel like listening to some woman who doesn't even know him telling him how reckless or stupid of romantic he was.

"hey, don't get so cranky. I was just stating a fact." Without bother asking, she sat down on the empty sit in front of him.

"I'm Natalie," she smiled at him the same annoying smile, "and you're an idiot."

House examined her curiously with his eyes, noting that she put on too much make-up and that her long, straight hair was almost the same color as cuddy's.

"I'm house," he answered without missing a beat, "and you're an annoying hypocrite who sticks her nose intp my business because she has no life of her own." He smiled at her a sarcastic smile, and popped another chip into his mouth.

Again, Natalie ignored him. "nice to meet you. I was actually hoping to see you again."

House stole her diet coke, and frowned in disgust when he took a sip. "what were you doing at that party, anyway? Are you a lifeless doctor, or a dying patient?"

"none," she replied. "you can say I'm… family. But the point is, you're an.."

"idiot," house interrupted. "you said that already. Now, let me guess: you think I should get her flowers, get down on my knees and beg her to go out to dinner with me."

Natalie's eyes sparkled with the first honest emotion since they started talking. It was something between anger and amusement.

"no, actually I wanted to advise you to stay away from her." The smile left her face for the moment. "I saw her with her boyfriend. She looked happy, until the moment you selfishly ruined it, because you want to get in her pants, or prove some point or whatever."

House was speechless. He looked at her with no emotion at all, his eyes not moving from her face for a second.

Natalie took a breath and continued. "she's a human being. You can't play with her heart, and you better think twice before you let her destroy her relationship for someone who's only gonna break her heart."

"why do you even care?," house insisted. "are you her mommy? Oh, let me guess – you're her best friend forever and ever who is trying to protect her from the mean little boy who is pulling her ponytale?" he said sarcastically, pulling out his lower lip with mock sadness.

"I've never met her." Natalie replied. "but I know what it's like to lose everything over some guy."

With that, she smiled at him her wide, friendly smile again and walked out of the cafeteria.

On the way up to his office, he was trying to tell himself she was wrong.  
this is real, he wasn't trying to prove anything or hurt her. And he will not give up because some girl with long hair and annoying smile thought she had him all figured out.

And yet, he felt the first fling of doubt tracing his way in the back of his head.

he was so preoccupied in his thoughts that he didn't notice at first the woman standing in the middle of his office, looking helpless and upset.

"cuddy?"

___________**TBC..**_______________

**Tell me what you think! **


	6. Cane Guy

Sorry about the delay. The chapter was finished a while ago, but I had some technical problems.

About Natalie – I know she came out of nowhere, sorry about that. I wanted a new character to write about. She will probably appear again in the next few chapters (and she will be a pretty important character, so you might wanna keep an eye on her).

Enjoy the next chapter(:

*I don't own house.*

**Chapter 6 – Cane Guy.**

"cuddy?"

"house, please don't say anything until I'm finished, okay?" she asked him with regret and pleading in her eyes, and he immediately felt the anger fade away.

"no problem, meanwhile I'm just gonna stare at your boobs, if you don't mind." He said sarcastically, but his blue eyes kept staring deeply into hers, and she knew he was listening.

"I'm so sorry about yesterday, About leaving with no explanation. It was selfish, and you deserve better."

House, as he promised, said nothing for the moment. He did, however, took a step closer to her.

"I came to your house to tell you we could never work it out between us, but the things you said.. I didn't think straight for a few seconds , and.."

"Oh, I think it was more than just a few seconds.." house interrupted with a slight smile.

"House, shut up for a moment." She replied with a smile of her own, and noted the way he kept moving a little closer to her at a time.

"I think what I'm trying to say is that.. I thought I was doing you a favor. You always say how you want to have hot, non-attached sex with me, and It just seemed like.."

"Like I was faking the whole thing just to get inside your panties." House completed her sentence in defeat.

"I know, it sounds horrible.." cuddy said with shame in her voice.

House's smile was dry and humorless. "No, it really does sounds like me."

"I'm really, truly sorry. I only thought about my own pain, it never occurred to me how you must feel.. and I promise that from now on, our relationship would be strictly professional."

House was standing so close now, she could feel his cool breath on her skin. His strong arms were grazing her hip, causing a tingle between her legs.

"I never said I wanted that," he complained a moment before his lips caught hers in a long, lingering kiss.

Their tongues were mixing together, causing her to moan into his mouth while grabbing the hair in the back of his head. He put a hand on her hip, and pulled her closer to him as he continued to taste her with passion.

As soon as she realized what they were doing, cuddy broke free. House frowned at her with disappointment.

"Didn't you hear what I was just saying?" cuddy asked him directly, ignoring her own feeling of disappointment.

"I heard you," house insisted, "I just chose to ignore everything you said."

He smiled at her a wide, honest smile, flashing all of his teeth with that self adoration she found so annoying and irresistible. As an irrational respond, her mouth turned upward and she started giggling. For this brief moment, she felt herself letting go completely.

Even though her brain was yelling at her to stop, even though it was the wrong thing to do, she felt herself drawing to him in so many way she never knew was possible.

His sarcastic attitude, his ocean blue eyes, his sexy-as-hell subtle, the way he was smiling at her right now.. that was it. That was all she ever wanted, and all she would ever need.

_Screw it_, she yelled at her brain, letting only her heart lead her lips on their way back to his, her body back to where it belonged – connected to him.

Jake Stanley was standing at the middle of the hospital lobby, staring in boredom at random people, noting the way they all seemed to be rushing somewhere, or just pacing nervously.  
He tried Lisa's cell again. Still, no answer.  
She was half an hour late and this place was making him sick, as if he could get cancer or something just from standing here. It was another reason why he liked his little, peaceful clinic – the biggest worry he had in there was how to make some kid brush his teeth, or why is that one guy keeps ripping his cap out for no reason.

He closed his eyes and thought about Lisa. He tried to picture every millimeter of her beautiful face, her dark hair, her sparkling gray eyes…

She was perfect for him, and he was perfect for her, or so he thought.  
Everything was absolutely great between them until that guy with the cane showed out of nowhere, and claimed to be her soul-mate or whatever.

He remembered clearly that night in the hospital's parking lot.

_ He found her seating alone, her head between her knees, on some improvised bench only a few seconds after she stormed out of that stupid party.  
not far in the distance, he could hear the drunk cane-guy singing some weird love song to his girlfriend._

_"Lisa? are you okay?"_

_She jumped at the sound of his voice, and it almost seemed like she couldn't remember who he was for the first few seconds._

_"Oh, hi Jake. I'm really sorry for what happened in there.. he's just some crazy employee of mine." She explained logically, but he didn't miss the tiny smile and the sparkle in her eyes when talked about him._

_"Is he stalking you? Do you want me to beat him up or something?" he asked in the most threatening voice he could come up with, trying to forget about the fact that that guy would probably have him on the floor in seconds, with cane-marks all over his skin and a few broken teeth which would be very expansive to replace._

_Cuddy made this coughing sound she does when she's trying not to laugh, and he wondered if she was picturing the same thing he did. "No, I think I can deal with him by myself," she insisted, "but thank you anyway."_

_Jake waited for her to say anything else, and when she didn't he felt all of the questions he had about this guy standing on the tip of his tongue. _

_"so," he started suspiciously, "Is he your ex or something?"_

_She considered the answer for a few long seconds, and her voice sounded a little unsure when she answered. "well, not really. Just some guy I knew from med school. He's a… friend." _

_Jake wasn't too happy about the way her voice got all dreamy when she talked about him, like she was thinking about her long-lost prince charming. He was sure there was much more to it beside 'old friends from school', but he didn't want to push her._

_"well, I don't like that friend of yours." He said finally, trying not to let the anger show. He can't lose her, she was funny and smart and sexy and she was everything. He could not lose her._

_"don't worry, he was just drinking too much, he probably didn't know what he was saying. He didn't really mean it." Her voice was full of defeat, and she was looking away towards the distance. _

_He stared at the way the wind blew her hair for a long moment, thinking about how bad he wanted that sparkle to show on her eyes when she was talking about him, too. _

_"take me home." She broke the silence eventually, and started walking towards his car._

_They haven't spoken another word for the rest of the night._

And now he was waiting for her alone in the middle of that hospital, trying desperately to believe there is still a chance for that relationship.

Because cane-guy or no cane-guy, he is not going to give up.

In a perfect timing, the elevator's door opened and Lisa came out walking happily next to that very same guy. They were so lost in the conversation, they couldn't even see him standing there in the crowded lobby.

Taking a deep breath, he walked up to them.

No, he will not give up on her.


End file.
